Bend parents seek school safety upgrades as district cites funding limits

Parents demanding stronger school security confronted Bend-La Pine Schools officials at an emotional community meeting Thursday night, repeatedly hearing that the district lacked money for the measures they sought. Requests included privacy film on windows, bulletproof glass and police officers at every middle and high school. The livestreamed discussion lasted more than two hours, a week before classes were scheduled to resume at Silver Rail Elementary.

The meeting followed the Oct. 15 attack at Silver Rail, where a 16-year-old former student climbed a fence and fired through locked doors before entering a special education classroom. He killed three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a 25-year-old teacher with a shotgun. A father who saw the teenager enter followed him into the school and fatally shot him before police arrived.

Parents challenged the district’s emphasis on budget constraints and questioned both immediate security needs and support for students. Some asked about counseling access and how officials track young people who are no longer enrolled. The shooter was not attending a district school at the time. One parent said her daughter’s elementary school had only a part-time counselor, while others offered to help through fundraising or volunteer patrols.

District safety director Scott Bojanowski said existing resources include eight school resource officers, 13 campus monitors, locks, public address systems and secure entrance lobbies. He said an emergency communication system would require millions of dollars the district does not have. After questions about notifications and lockdown decisions during the shooting, Bojanowski and Superintendent Steve Cook said an outside investigator would evaluate the district’s actions and response.

A parent also raised Alyssa’s Law, a 2025 measure sponsored by Bend legislator Emerson Levy that instructed districts to consider panic alarm systems. An earlier bill in 2023 included $2.5 million to help districts purchase the systems. Cook said Bend-La Pine had not installed one because state funding covered only a year of implementation, forcing the district to prioritize other spending.

Cook and school board chair Amy Tatom said state funding falls short of district needs as operating expenses rise. They also said teacher retirement costs account for a third of the budget. Both discussed potentially seeking voter support for a bond or levy to finance security improvements or additional counselors. Cook said applications for several federal safety grants were underway, but funding would take months if approved.

Representatives of the National Mass Violence Center attended Thursday’s meeting after joining a separate gathering Wednesday for Silver Rail parents that was closed to the broader public. Associate director Angie Moreland explained that the trauma extends beyond those inside the school, affecting other schools, the city and people farther away.

Some attendees said the discussion had left them without clear steps to take. Moreland encouraged residents to keep working together, compile resource lists and distribute them widely. Tatom urged families to practice and teach kindness, referring to Silver Rail’s motto and the former student’s return to commit the attack.

Tatom also pointed to safe gun storage as an action families could take immediately. Bend-La Pine is among several locations in the region offering free gun locks. She described that measure as one available step while the community considers broader changes requiring more time and funding.